Though there’s a lot of small businesses currently doing it fairly rough at the moment due to the extremely necessary on-going movement restrictions in Melbourne, live music venues in particular are having a rough trot of things. But that’s being made ever-so-slightly easier today, thanks to a Victorian Government rescue package aimed at keeping the lights on until gigs can safely resume.
Live music venues are, quite obviously, among the litany of pubs and cafes that can’t currently welcome patrons in under the Metro Melbourne restrictions. But it’s venues in particular that are the hardest hit of that bunch, given the vast majority of them tend to not have kitchens that can run takeaway services.
Today’s announcement of a string of new Live Music Venue Grants will inject $9 million of vital funding to venues both large and small, in a bid to help them survive on scarce income until the doors can open again.
Premier Dan Andrews revealed the list of venues receiving funding in the first round of grants, and it’s a laundry list of some of Melbourne’s most beloved sticky carpeted haunts.
In a Facebook post this afternoon, Andrews stated “We’re helping every one of these venues cover the bills, plan for the future, and get ready to open their doors again through our Live Music Venue Grants. $9 million has been allocated in the first round – with more venues to be announced. Victoria has always been the live music capital of Australia. And we’ll make sure it stays that way.”
The venues included in the initial round of funding are, in no real particular order:
- The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
- Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy
- Laundry Bar, Fitzroy
- The Wool Exchange, Geelong
- Northcote Social Club, Northcote
- The Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
- Tramp Bar, Melbourne
- The Tote, Collingwood
- 170 Russell, Melbourne
- Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne
- Bar Open, Fitzroy
- Bar Oussou, Brunswick
- Baxter’s Lot, Fitzroy
- Beav’s Lounge Bar, Geelong
- The Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood
- Bloom Bar & Lounge, Geeling
- Bull & Mouth Hotel, Horsham
- Cafe Gummo, Thornbury
- Chaser’s Venue, South Yarra
- Circus Bar, South Yarra
- Dog’s Bar, St Kilda
- Elwood Lounge, Elwood
- Empire Club, Narre Warren
- The Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy
- God’s Kitchen, Mornington
- The Grand Hotel, Mornington
- Hop Temple, Ballarat Central
- Hotel Warrnambool, Warrnambool
- Howler, Brunswick
- Inflation Nightclub, Melbourne
- Jimmy O’Neill’s Whiskey & Alehouse, St Kilda
- The John Curtin Hotel, Carlton
- Kanela Flamenco Bar, Fitzroy
- The Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East
- Loop, Melbourne
- Lulie Tavern, Abbotsford
- The Blues Train, Queenscliff
- The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine
- The Butterfly Club, Melbourne
- The Colonial Hotel, Melbourne
- Mantra Studio Kitchen Bar, Yarraville
- Max Watt’s, Melbourne
- Melbourne Central Lion, Melbourne
- Memo Music Hall, St Kilda
- Nevermind Bar, Hawthorn
- New Guernica, Melbourne
- Nighthawk’s, Collingwood
- The Oak Tree Tavern, The Basin
- Onesixone, Prahran
- Ontop Bar, Ormond
- Open Studio, Northcote
- Paris Cat, Melbourne
- Pawn & Co, Prahran
- Paynesville Wine Bar, Paynesville
- 303, Northcote
- Pistol Pete’s Food N Blues, Geelong
- Platform One, Melbourne
- Pride Of Our Footscray Community Bar, Footscray
- Rubix Warehouse, Brunswick
- Small Time, Brunswick
- Sooki Lounge, Belgrave
- Soundbar, Capel Sound
- Stay Gold, Brunswick
- Swaplands Bar, Thornbury
- Tempo Rubato, Brunswick
- The Archie’s Creek Hotel, Archie’s Creek
- The Corner Hotel, Richmond
- The Dart & Marlin, Warrnambool
- The Eastern, Ballarat East
- Piano Bar, Geelong
- The Pig & Whistle, Main Ridge
- 24 Moons, Northcote
- The Gem, Collingwood
- The Grace Darling, Collingwood
- The Jazzlab, Brunswick
- The King Hotel, Melbourne
- Ragtime Tavern, Preston
- The Rising Sun, South Melbourne
- Ronnie’s Blue Bar, Prahran
- The Leadbeater, Abbotsford
- The Main Bar, Bakery Hill
- The Merri Creek Tavern, Northcote
- The Night Heron, Footscray
- The Old Bar, Collingwood
- The Post Office Hotel, Coburg
- The Prince Bandroom, St Kilda
- The Red Hill Hotel, Chewton
- The Retreat Hotel, Brunswick
- The Rooks Return, Fitzroy
- The Royal Melbourne, Melbourne
- The Setts, Mildura
- The Third Day, North Melbourne
- The Toff In Town, Melbourne
- The Workers Club, Fitzroy
- The Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
- Theatre Royal, Castlemaine
- Tokyo Hustle, Melbourne
- Trades Hall, Ballarat Central
- The Tramway, Fitzroy North
- Uptown Jazz Café, Fitzroy
- Volta, Ballarat Central
- The Wesley Anne, Northcote
- The Westernport, San Remo
- Whote Lotta Love, Brunswick East
In all, that’s 104 venues receiving a combined $9 million to help keep the dream alive.
And in all, that’s a pretty bloody good first step towards getting Melbourne’s revered live music industry back up and running.
